Can You Say It?
by Izout
Summary: Being Ace Merrill's girlfriend ain't what it's crack up to be.


Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine. Just the OCs.

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"And that should be the last of it." Counting the money one last time before handing it over to Sheriff Garrett. I hope Ace appreciate this, I can't keep asking Daddy for more money every time Ace pulls stunts like this, especially since Mr. Jerry won't give me anymore raises at the Malt Shop.

"That it is." The Sheriff Garrett told me as he took the money and got up from his chair. "I'll let him out in a jiffy." Before he went into back, he looked over his shoulder at me. "How did such sweet thing like you wound up with a kid like him?" I nervously bit the side of my lip and just shrug my shoulder. Frankly I've been asking myself that question for a month.

I don't even recall how we first met. I was at a bar, too many shots of whiskey had warm my stomach. I caught him in the corner of my eye as he made his way over.

"Name Ace." He told me. Ace… Ace Merrill, name rang a bell. Most people knew he was. He's not as big a name as he believes himself to be, but most know he hangs around with a group of troublemakers, the Rattlesnakes or something.

We started talking, don't remember what exactly, but it must have been something engaging as we keep going on and on and downing more bottles of whiskey. I know most of the girls in my class over swoon over him and I fail to see why. They talk about his rugged good looks and tough guy image; personally I thought he looked like an elf. But maybe it was the whiskey affecting my vision as Ace suddenly seemed very good-looking. Hell, I was starting to feel the urge to take him into my arms and plant him one on the lips.

I'm not sure how much time had passed, but I do remember us stumbling outside, ripping off our clothes, and spending the rest of the night in the back of his car. Next morning I woke up with a pounding headache. Ace was seating in the front seat zipping up his jeans before slipping on his shirt.

He adjusted the front mirror to look at me and smirked. "Let me you if you're feeling lonely again, toots." I quickly put on my clothes and jump out of the car.

And then… he left. And I throw up my stomach contents soon afterwards.

Our _relationship _for a lack of a better term continue on and off for the next few days. Sometimes he would take me out for breakfast in the morning, other times I see him out with another girl. No attachments, not that I mind, I don't need a man to make me feel complete.

And I would have stayed that way until his friend, I knew him as Richard but for some reason he insist on everybody in town calling himself Eyelid or something, ask the question.

"Hey Ace, this your new girl?"

Ace wrapped an arm around my shoulder and announce as if he was declaring it to the world. "You better believe she is."

I snapped out of my reminiscing when I heard the sounds of a jail door squeaking and clanking, along with the jingle of a pair of keys. Footsteps get louder and louder until the Sheriff came out along with my sad-to-admit-boyfriend.

"Have a good night you two," Sheriff Garrett told us, "And young man, don't you dare get this sweet young lady into any trouble." Ace grunted a response as we step out of the office.

"Hey."

"Where's your car?" Ahh Ace, always one to cut straight to the chase.

"Just down the block." I told him, "You sound oddly sober."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"At this time of night?"

Believe it or not, this is one of our more pleasant conversations.

"Gotta keep a straight mind when I get back at Lenoard."

"Why don't you just let this one go? You have nothing to prove."

"I've worked way too hard let this all go down the drain. One block falls and the whole thing goes down with it." I just wanted to strangle Ace right now.

As we were walking, I caught sight of Jo with her boyfriend Frank. He had his arm around her and I watched them talking and laughing, they look so sweet. Jo saw us and waved and I waved back. Ace saw them too and put a possessive arm around me, causing their smiles to turn sour.

I envied Jo. When Frank held her, it was one of protection, of caring. Ace's hold on me was one of abject teenage lust. He didn't want to protect me, he didn't particularly care about me, or _for me_ for that matter. Whenever we went out, I would see the girls in my class giving me nasty looks, either of disgust or of jealousy. My best friend would tell me how gutsy I am for going out with Ace Merrill, I think she's lucky for not being involve with him.

"You know I can't stand you, right?" I asked him.

"Yeah." His answer.

"And that I sometimes wish you would just stop coming to me for all your problems?"

"Yeah."

"Just checking." I'll admit too that I don't like him or care about him either. He's obnoxious, he swears, he's sarcastic, he has a real sick sense of humor, and sick twisted sense of pride. He seems to make it his life mission to boast his superiority to everybody.

"And yet, you're always there at my beck-and-call." He said, I rolled my eyes.

"You can have any girl you want, I would happily introduce some to you, so why do you keep coming back to me?"

"You always respond, couldn't ask for anyone else. And you know you can't leave me. You're mines and always will be." I gave him the finger and his only response was to snicker.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally reach my car. As I unlock the door and we got in, I turned to Ace.

"What?" He asked me.

"Well…?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to say it?"

"Say what?"

"You know what."

Ace just lit up a cigarette. "Forget about it."

"Oh come on! I just paid your bail, you can at least say it."

"Shut up about it!"

"Eventually you'll say it."

He smirked again, that same smirk I want to slap off his face. "What makes you say that?" Ace loves a challenge.

"Because I can't keep bailing you out forever. There will come a day where I won't be able to get any money and I'll let you rot in there unless you say it."

"You'll find a way."

"Not likely," I told him putting the key into the ignition.

"Just drive."

**The End.**


End file.
